The concept for this soap came from watching my Korean neighbor's skincare routine. She saved the water from rinsing rice and used it to wash her face, claiming it was her mother's secret for beautiful skin. Curious, I researched and discovered that rice water has been used in Asian beauty rituals for centuries.

Rice water contains vitamins, minerals, and starches that leave skin feeling incredibly silky. The challenge was incorporating it into cold process soap, where the high pH environment can affect delicate ingredients. Through experimentation, I found that using rice water as the liquid portion of my lye solution—frozen first—preserved enough of its beneficial properties to make a difference.

The rice bran oil in this formula is no accident. It's pressed from the same grain that provides the water, creating a harmonious whole-grain approach. Rice bran oil is wonderfully conditioning and adds to the silky feel. Combined with the rice water, the result is a soap that glides across skin like nothing else I've made.

Jasmine absolute provides the fragrance, and it's worth every penny of its high price. True jasmine cannot be steam-distilled—the delicate flowers would be destroyed. Instead, the scent is extracted using solvents, creating an absolute rather than an essential oil. The fragrance is heady, intoxicating, unmistakably luxurious.

I make these bars small and precious, treating them as the special-occasion soap they deserve to be. The creamy white color with occasional rice grain specks looks elegant in simple packaging. Friends who receive them understand immediately that this is something out of the ordinary.

Using this soap feels like a ritual, not a routine. The jasmine unfolds in the steam, the silky lather coats the skin, and for a moment, a simple morning wash becomes something transcendent.

Step-by-Step Instructions